I came to know of Andaleeb Wajid through a friend when he sent me her book to read & review- Blinkers off. Since then we have been in touch through Facebook and Twitter and so it was nice to meet this lively author when she launched her new book “My Brothers’ wedding” at Crossword Bookstore in Chennai. It was a fun filled evening where we got to interact with her on a personal level, and hear tales of how she writes, where she got the inspiration for the book from and what else is in store from her treasure chest….
Book Name: My Brother’s Wedding
Author: Andaleeb Wajid
Publisher : Rupa Books
ISBN : 978-8-1291-2399-2
Genre: Fiction: Romance, family drama, chic-lit [call it what you want, it is a very breezy light read]
Pages: 264
Price: Rs 295/-
My Brother’s Wedding is a book based on the chaos called ‘wedding in the family”. But it goes beyond the groom and his family, there is quite a bit of craziness connecting people beyond the immediate family members. It has a splash of drama, a generous amount of spice and romance as well. It is a book that is as close to reality as you will get~!!
I for one hate weddings. Why? To me weddings are synonymous with tempers flaring, craziness bursting everywhere, expenses sky rocketing and unnecessary squabbles coming into the scene. Weddings according to me should be simple sweet affairs, where the focus remains on the bride and groom, but instead it is all about who gives/receives what gifts, the sudden chaos within the house related to other members, an illness, god forbid a death, how elaborate the menu is, who has been invited, what are the return gifts and what not… These paint quite a disturbing image right, but then that is the reality..
“My Brother’s Wedding” opens with Saba’s blog. All of 19 years Saba starts an anonymous blog, a platform where she can vent, rant and share. She gives alphabets as nicknames for her characters- her sis, her best friend, her cousin who she has a huge crush on, other friends and so on. The book actually has 2 parallels to it- one the main wedding related chaos and other is saba’s blog. The entire plot is set in Bangalore and revolves around how this wedding is planned and its impact on Saba’s life.
Andaleeb takes the readers through a typical Muslim household and the wedding preparations. It is also about how families maintain a brave face when meeting others but within the four walls their lives are falling apart. There is the sister who believes her husband is possessed, a Djinn, the guy who lusts after Saba’s sister at the wedding who secretly meets Saba and ultimately how all the pieces of the puzzle fall into the place and comes to a happy ending or not.. ;o)
It took me all of 3 hours to read, the last half hour dragged on, only because I wasn’t ready to be done with the book yet. 🙂 It was such a delightful simple breezy read, ideal for anyone who wants a light book.
For those who want to buy the book, pick up your copy from Flipkart or the nearest book store
Andaleeb also has another book ready to be launched in a month or so–> More than Just Biryani and she has started a blog which was about recipes but is also about this book of hers..
